What is Wegovy?

What sources report

Wegovy is Novo Nordisk's brand of semaglutide approved for weight reduction, heart risk reduction and MASH.¹ Ozempic and Rybelsus carry the same active ingredient but are approved for type 2 diabetes.⁸⁹ For the molecule's chemistry and its research record across every brand, see What is Semaglutide?.

How it works

Semaglutide is a GLP-1 receptor agonist: it attaches to the receptor that the body's own GLP-1 hormone uses, and switches it on.¹³ These receptors sit in brain areas that regulate appetite, and the label says semaglutide lowers calorie intake, likely by affecting appetite.¹⁴ It also raises insulin and lowers glucagon in a glucose-dependent way, and it slows stomach emptying.¹ According to the label, the weight lost is more fat mass than lean mass.¹

Two design changes make it long acting.³ An amino acid swap at position 8 shields the peptide from the DPP-4 enzyme.³¹⁵ A fatty acid chain attached at lysine 26 makes it bind albumin in the blood.³ The result is an elimination half-life of about 1 week.¹⁶

Injection and tablets (Wegovy pills)

The injection is a ready-to-use clear solution, given under the skin once a week.¹ The tablets are absorbed far less: only about 1% to 2% of an oral dose reaches the blood, compared with 89% of an injected dose.¹⁷ Each tablet contains salcaprozate sodium (SNAC), which helps semaglutide absorb in the stomach.¹⁷ Approved tablet doses go up to 25 mg daily, while approved weekly injections span 0.25 mg to 7.2 mg.¹ The tablets are approved for adults only; children 12 and older and MASH are covered by the injection alone.¹²

What the trials found

In STEP 1, 1,961 adults without diabetes lost an average of 14.9% of body weight over 68 weeks on 2.4 mg, against 2.4% on placebo.¹ Over 64 weeks the 25 mg tablets gave 13.6% against 2.4%, and over 72 weeks the 7.2 mg dose gave 18.8% against 3.9%.¹ In SELECT, 17,604 adults with heart disease had a heart attack, stroke or cardiovascular death less often on Wegovy (6.5%) than on placebo (8%).¹¹⁸ Results by trial, with evidence levels: Wegovy benefits and uses. Weight detail and what happens after stopping: Wegovy and weight loss.

Side effects

Stomach and bowel effects lead the label's list: on 2.4 mg in adult weight trials, nausea affected 44% (16% on placebo), diarrhea 30% (16%) and vomiting 24% (6%).¹ Its boxed warning is about thyroid C-cell tumors found in rodents; whether semaglutide causes them in people is unknown.¹ The label says it must not be used by anyone with a personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma or MEN 2.¹ Other label warnings include pancreatitis, gallbladder disease, kidney injury from dehydration, low blood sugar with insulin or sulfonylureas, and serious allergic reactions.¹ Full list: Wegovy side effects.

Dosage information

The label starts the injection at 0.25 mg once weekly and raises it every 4 weeks, through 0.5 mg, 1 mg and 1.7 mg.¹ Maintenance begins at week 17: 2.4 mg or 1.7 mg for weight or heart risk, and 2.4 mg for MASH.¹ For adult weight reduction, 7.2 mg weekly is allowed once 2.4 mg has been tolerated for 4 weeks or more and the prescriber judges more loss is needed.¹ The tablets climb monthly from 1.5 mg through 4 mg and 9 mg to 25 mg daily from day 91, and the prescriber sets and adjusts every step.¹ Full schedule: Wegovy dosage.

How it is used

Nothing is mixed or reconstituted: on single-dose pens the dose is preset and the needle is hidden inside the needle cover.¹ It is injected once a week, on the same weekday, under the skin of the stomach area, thigh or upper arm, at a new spot each time.¹ A healthcare provider trains the patient on the exact pen or syringe before first use.¹ Pens and syringes are refrigerated at 2°C to 8°C (36°F to 46°F), and tablets are stored at room temperature in their closed bottle.¹ Sites, pen steps, storage limits and disposal: Wegovy injection sites and pen use.

Regulatory status

Wegovy injection is approved under NDA 215256 and the tablets under NDA 218316, and FDA lists every product as prescription only.⁴² As of October 2026, FDA's product lists show 12 injection entries, from 0.25 mg to 7.2 mg, and four tablet strengths, and the current label was revised in June 2026.⁴²⁵ The main approval dates:

• June 4, 2021. First approval of the injection, after a priority review.⁴
• December 23, 2022. A new patient population: children 12 and older with obesity.⁴¹
• March 8, 2024. Lowering the risk of cardiovascular death, heart attack and stroke in adults with heart disease and obesity or overweight.⁴¹⁸ FDA called it the first weight loss medicine also approved for this use.¹⁸
• August 15, 2025. Noncirrhotic MASH with F2 to F3 fibrosis in adults, an accelerated approval that may depend on a confirmatory trial.⁴¹
• December 22, 2025. Wegovy tablets, a new dosage form for adults.²
• January 13, 2026. FDA asked for the suicidal behavior and ideation warning to be removed after its review found no increased risk with GLP-1 medicines.¹⁹ The current label lists that section as removed in January 2026.¹
• March 19, 2026. A new dosing regimen allowing up to 7.2 mg once weekly (Wegovy HD) for adult weight reduction.⁴¹

In the European Union, Wegovy was authorized on January 6, 2022, and is now available as pens and tablets.²⁰ Semaglutide is not on the World Anti-Doping Agency's Prohibited List, and WADA kept that status for 2027.⁶ Since January 1, 2026, WADA has monitored semaglutide markers in and out of competition.⁷

Compounded and research-labeled semaglutide

FDA says unapproved versions of GLP-1 drugs, including compounded semaglutide, are not reviewed by FDA for safety, effectiveness or quality.²¹ In April 2026 it proposed excluding semaglutide from the 503B bulks list, finding no clinical need for outsourcing facilities to compound it from bulk.²² As of May 31, 2026, FDA had received 990 adverse event reports linked to compounded semaglutide.²¹ It has also warned companies that sold consumers unapproved semaglutide falsely labeled "for research purposes" or "not for human consumption".²¹ None of these products is Wegovy, the FDA-approved semaglutide made by Novo Nordisk under NDA 215256 and NDA 218316.⁴²

Related pages

Comparisons: Ozempic vs Wegovy, Semaglutide vs Wegovy and Mounjaro vs Wegovy. Goals: Wegovy and weight loss and Wegovy and blood sugar. The drug class as a whole is covered in What is GLP-1?, and the other semaglutide brands in What is Ozempic? and What is Rybelsus?.